THE ROOTS | TRUE TO THEIRS

Hometown affiliation and representation is the norm amidst the genre of hip-hop, as cats constantly call out their neighborhood, streets, cities, projects and just about anything applicable to holding down where they came up. It is almost a right and a responsibility to represent. That brings us to Philadelphia's Legendary Roots Crew, a live hip-hop band that constantly pushes the envelope in a progressive fashion very much in line with the material covered here on JamBase.com.

They are also unmistakably married to their home city of Philadelphia. All the way live from the 215, The LRC has been a household name from Delaware to Cherry Hill and out to King of Prussia since their earliest incarnation as jazzy breakbeat funk rap n' bop on Organix and Do You Want More? Progressing to their darker, more beat oriented album Illadelph Halflife (which gave birth to the term Illadelph) and then to their vibrant, awake and aware masterpiece Things Fall Apart, The Roots are both hip-hop innovators and decidedly Philadelphia.

Lately the group has been gaining steam, barreling toward the release of their long-awaited TFP follow-up, titled Phrenology. A myriad of shows, media attention, interviews and more shows had landed them at the foot of the Philadelphia Art Museum for a College Fest free concert, Saturday the 21st, one day after Mayor John Street presented them with keys to the city. (In a testament to The Roots drive to succeed, they played a show in Austin, TX the very same evening, returning the next day for the College Fest.)

There has been recent speculation amongst Roots fans as to the direction of the band's music and energies. Besides the whole live/band in hip-hop conundrum (a facet of the music not entirely endorsed by the hip-hop community), there has been concern about the "conscious" label being applied to their music, sound, and aura. In this post-bling era of Big Tymers ("I just bought a platinum football field"), the question has been raised in different circles as to whether or not The Roots are still relevant to hip-hop.

There is the issue of The Roots' Sprite commercial, which pales in comparison to the advertising activities of a Busta Rhymes or P. Diddy, but still conflicts with the whole "true-head", conscious, real hip-hop aesthetic. Then again, the blastmaster KRS-One himself has got a Sprite commercial, so at this point, nothing is sacred. The tension between the old-school fan base and the band's new vision was apparent as the show approached. The band had been quoted in recent articles in publications like URB and VIBE resenting the "conscious" label and wondering why it's "cool" to like The Roots. The band's Okayplayer website message boards were alive and raging with discussion, and with added socio-political circumstances brewing in the City of Brotherly Love, the stage was set for a Roots performance more relevant than ever.

I arrived on the Ben Franklin Parkway and struggled for parking before descending on a group of maybe five thousand or so fans, college aged and predominantly Caucasian, closely huddled around a small stage setup for the LRC. There was really no security, a few uniform police officers milling about, lots of coolers filled with yellow beer, and herb smoke mixed with soft-pretzel aromas filled the gray, polluted, dirty Philly air. As I made my way into the sea of heads and bodies, The Roots stormed the stage to the recreated Queen beat from "We Will Rock You," (the Roots song is called simply "Rock You"). Before you could say the word "Legendary," there was Tariq Trotter AKA Black Thought, blazed out in a Portland Trailblazers warm-up and flipping scripts. The band tore through their most rock-inflected song to date, climaxing with squealing Gibson SG riffage from newest Roots member Ben Kenney.

The second song of the set, another off their forthcoming LP, is a testament to the integrity of The Roots mission. Originally slated for Black Thought's solo album Masterpiece Theatre (which never saw the light of day), "Thought at Work" is a venomous display of lyricism, and also a template for banging production/performance. The studio production vibe is enhanced by how well the band translates the song live, led by the inimitable Ahmir ?uestlove Thompson on drums. Based on both the "Apache" bongo break and a sample from The Beatles "Yellow Submarine," the song cooks with an aggression and something to prove, silencing nay sayers with choice verbal stabs and a cockiness seldom displayed by the Legendary. Ditching any "conscious" vibe at the door, Thought launches into a tirade that borders on street corner battle rap but with the savvy approach of a cagey veteran.

"Introducing the master thespian, there's no tellin' this felonious mc, Fuck getting money, for real, get freedom! "

"Outstanding. And I'm Outspoken, and I take fools out without jokin'"

"My brain's unstable and I'm just too handsome"

After the two openers from the forthcoming Phrenology, The Roots wasted no time delivering the bombastic "Next Movement" from Thing Fall Apart. The jam featured rumbling bass emanating from Leonard "Hub" Hubbard and a dynamic flow from BT. Per usual (this is the same order of tunes from the last two Roots performances I have seen), they followed with "Love of My Life II," also from TFA. This ode to hip-hop, a forward thinking yet nostalgically sentimental testament to a culture, art form, and way of life, is a perfect example of how and why the "conscious" label has been applied to The Roots. Conversely, the seamless transition from street rugged rhyming to smooth, intellectual song craft is a glistening portrait of The Roots versatility.

After a tease or two hinting at "Distortion to Static," the LRC delved headfirst into the classic joint "Proceed," off their acid-jazz inflected major label debut, 1994's Do You Want More? More band-oriented and sonically wide open (dynamics), the older compositions reveal the jazzbo aesthetic that gave birth to the group. Hearing the old jams makes one hark back to the days when ?uest would drop a rhyme and Dr. Dre's right hand White man Scott Storch would be handling keyboard duties. Oh, how the Legendary has evolved and elevated their game, but the old, simple, breezy songs from yesterday bring about a nostalgic feeling and energy enhanced by the Philadelphia setting. Wildin' out just a few feet away from Rocky's ascension up the art museum steps, adjacent to the very road the people of South Philly ran behind him; despite recent conflicting sentiments, The Roots, and I, truly felt at home.

Just when one was getting comfortable within the bohemian beats and positive vibrations, The Roots made a hard left and dropped "Water," a song written in 1999 but will be released on Phrenology later this year. A dark, rumbling two-step, I remember feelings of amazement and astonishment when The Roots broke it out at the Electric Factory last Halloween, and when it appeared a week later during The Roots performance at NY Against Violence, it was apparent that this song is a burner.

As more and more speculation surrounded the subject matter within the song, the band publicly conceded that it was indeed an open letter to former (or estranged, depending who you ask) Roots MC Malik B. A militant Philly verbal dart assassin whose verse and energy were the perfect compliment to Black Thought's athletic linguistics, Malik's rumored crack addiction, overall disheveled demeanor and personal abyss has led to a rift between the "Islamic extortionist" and the crew with which he came to prominence.

"Learn to walk straight and master your high
Son or else life will keep passin' you by
Just burnin' both ends of the rope
Pullin and tuggin'
Caught somewhere between Islam and straight thuggin'"

Though many in the crowd didn't decipher the lyrics (maybe they didn't care to), the conviction and emotion behind the performance of this gem could not be ignored. It seems cathartic to the band every time they perform the song, and while there were no public sightings of the "M-illa-tant," one could suspect he was present as his old crew rocked his hometown. "Water" is no secret to Malik (he has indeed heard it), as the band has conceded in the most recent issue of URB magazine. However, according to Black Thought, there has been no discernable response. Although Malik does not rhyme on Phrenology, apparently "his presence is all over it."

As The Roots continued their aural assault on the swollen mass of people congregated, it once again became obvious how professionally this band executes. The dynamics, the delivery, the energy, it never seems preconceived nor contrived. The shit eating grins across the faces of Kamal (keys) and Brother ?uestion said it all. They were happy to be home, delivering their standard (but never tired) set of old joints and new burners.

Just when the crowd assumed they had settled in for the typical Roots jammer, they again made an about face and dropped the crunkafied 80's anthem "Superfreak," originally made popular by the freebase-and-sex obsessed funkster Rick James, and later reinvented underneath MC Hammer's "You Can't Touch This." Human turntablist Scratch got the party started proper and soon bassist Hub joined the fray, some wah-wah guitar from Kenney and boom, they launched into an extra spanking, (albeit short) version of this classic. As the crowd reciprocated the energy with an awakened and vocal response, the vibe turned to dance party raucous, and a brother near me wondered loudly to the Caucasian girl next to him "Wow, white people know Rick James!"

Riding the funk wave with the blanco collegiate massive (tongue in cheek), The Roots moved right along into TFA's charging "Adrenaline." Once again, the LRC just plowed through the banging song with an authority seldom seen from hip-hop performers, separating them from all those commercial rap acts whose live performances profile and front.

After a dubbed-out, island-tinged verse from "Silent Treatment," the band inevitably came with the joint that is their most recognized "hit" to date, "You Got Me" from Things Fall Apart. The boys really ran the gamut on this one, delving into realms of drum and bass (which ?uest and new percussionist Frankie Knuckles handle marvelously), dub reggae (say Whoa!), disco, two-step, punk, and even sneaking in the groove from Outkast's "So Fresh, So Clean" (this is not something new). After a hardcore, guitar frenzied climax ending, the band came out from behind their instruments and struck poses Run DMC style.

Always fashion conscious, it was interesting to see what the different band members were rocking. Fresh off the plane from Texas, Kamal donned an old school Houston Astros jersey, Ahmir a Phillies, Thought a Blazers (how fitting), and Scratch inexplicably a Pirates. Newest Root Frankie Knuckles continued the hip-hop trend of wearing bad White quarterback jerseys, rocking an old school Trent Dilfer Bucs jersey. The other band members represented no team affiliations.

Then Scratch did his solo thing to close the show, a very similar solo to the one he has been performing for the past six months. Beginning with Run DMC's "Peter Piper," segueing into the Beastie Boys "Paul Revere," a Ludacris joint, and then the gem, Sean Paul's new reggae rave "Gimme the Light (and pass the 'dro)." In an energetic conclusion, Scratch busted the radio hit of the summer, Busta Rhymes "Pass the Courvassier," repping the "Don't that s#$t make a n&^%*a wanna Jump Jump!" and Black Thought changing the chorus to "Pass the Marvin Gaye."

Even though the still strong and loud crowd continued to clamor for more, The Roots never returned. That's a knock on the band as a whole, yet exemplary of why they are constantly growing. No matter how fully realized and complete the Legendary Roots Crew seem to be, they always leave you panting for more, whether it be live or in the studio. Each album and each tour, the band evolves, matures, progresses and steps up their game, and for so long that it is customary to always expect elevation and reinvention from The Roots.

Despite a standard set list and somewhat predictable song delivery style, the band still seems to reel in new fans as well as surprise the older ones. They also break new ground consistently with compositions, sound scapes, production values, and subject matter. Are The Roots conscious? The answer is a resounding yes. They are aware of themselves, they are aware of hip-hop, and they are aware of the culture in which they came up. The Roots are conscious of how the awareness creates art. This crew traces the legendary roots of hip-hop and Black music, and reconstructs it in a language that everybody can easily understand.

B Getz
JamBase | Illadelphia
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